For many people it’s not uncommon to spot a deer hanging around their home, but the sight of one deer recently left one couple stunned — a “ghost” sighting right in time for Halloween. Abbey Cabler, of Spring Hill, Tennessee, was startled on Tuesday morning by her husband, who urged her to rush outside quickly, according to WKRN. She ran out to their yard, and her husband told her he had spotted an unusual sight: a white deer. “We look out the window and sure enough there he is: just kind of like right on the other side of our porch, closer to the tree line just eating away on the bushes,” Abbey recalled to WKRN. The sight of the large, completely-white deer was stunning, and Abbey said it was like something out of a Christmas movie. The couple got photos and video of the extraordinary animal before it ran off.
A white deer, sometimes called a “ghost of the forest,” is a very rare sight. This deer is an albino (as evidenced by his red eyes), a trait found in just one in 30,000 deer. Piebald deer, who have patterns of white spots, are more common than albinos but are also rare. Abbey and her husband learned that their area has a “hot spot” for the genetic mutation and has a prevalent genetic lineage of albino deer, but they still feel blessed to spot such a rare animal in their own backyard. “A lot of people are saying, and I agree with them, ‘Oh my gosh, this is good luck,’ or, ‘What a sign of anything good in life to have something like that happen to you,’” Abbey told WKRN. “So I feel like I should buy a lottery ticket.”
The deer reportedly made a second appearance on their property on Wednesday. They have started calling the deer “Casper.” “It’s close to Halloween and he was there and then he was gone, so it kind of felt like Casper the friendly albino deer,” Abbey said. Wow, what a sight! We would love to see one of these incredibly rare, beautiful animals in our yard someday.